This invention relates to disposable absorbent articles and particularly to sanitary napkins adapted for absorption and containing of menstrual discharge and incontinence pads for women.
Conventional sanitary napkins generally include an absorbent laminate consisting of a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet and a liquid-absorbent core disposed between these two sheets. Sanitary napkins disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Publication (Kokoku) No. Hei6-40888, Japanese Patent Application Disclosure (Kokai) No. Hei2-7958 and Japanese Patent Application (PCT) Disclosure (Kohyo) No. Hei9-507033 includes an elastically stretchable member provided on the liquid-absorbent core so as to extend at least transversely thereof and to deform the napkin convexly toward the wearer""s skin as the elastically stretchable member contracts. A sanitary napkin disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Disclosure (Kokai) No. Hei2-11138 includes a flexurally rigid element serving as a deforming element provided on a lower surface of the liquid-absorbent core so that the napkin may be normally forced by the element to be convexly deformed toward the wearer""s skin. A sanitary napkin disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Disclosure No. Hei5-62228 includes an elastic member provided in a liquid-absorbent core adjacent its upper layer along a longitudinal center line so that the napkin may be convexly deformed toward the wearer""s skin as the elastic member contracts longitudinally of the liquid-absorbent core.
In the case of the sanitary napkin disclosed by the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei6-40888, Japanese Patent Application Disclosure No. Hei2-7958 and Japanese Patent Application (PCT) Disclosure No. Hei9-507033, the convex deformation occurs only under a contractile effect of the elastically stretchable member. So far as the liquid-absorbent core is not xe2x80x9ccollapsedxe2x80x9d due to menstrual discharge absorbed therein or not deformed by an external force exerted thereon during use of the napkin, the convex deformation is maintained by the contractile effect of the elastically stretchable member. However, when the phenomenon of collapse as well as the deformation due to the external force is inevitable, the napkin is impossible to maintain the desired convex deformation since the convexity is lost or changed into another shape due to these factors.
According to the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Disclosure No. Hei2-11138, the convex deformation is obtained by a convex shape previously given to said deforming element. Such a sanitary napkin is necessarily bulky and this bulkiness may be alleviated by packaging the napkin so as to be compressed in a thickness direction of the napkin as in the conventional manner of packaging. However, if a period before unpacking is relatively long, the deforming element may not restore its original state sufficiently to deform the napkin with a desired convexity. While this inconvenience can be probably overcome by appropriately selecting the material for the deforming element, this selection will be considerably difficult. Furthermore, a predetermined flexural resistance is required to maintain the desired convex deformation and the material selected to meet this requirement has often a relatively high rigidity. In consequence, the napkin is provided with a correspondingly high rigidity which may give the wearer uncomfortable stiff feeling.
According to the above-mentioned Japanese Utility Model Application Disclosure No. Hei5-62228, the upper layer of the liquid-absorbent core tends to be lifted off the remainder underlying the upper layer under a contractile force of the elastic member. In consequence, body fluids discharged on the upper layer can not be adequately absorbed by the remainder layer and often stay on the upper layer until the body fluids leak laterally of the napkin.
In view of the above problems, it is an object of the invention to provide a sanitary napkin so improved to make effective use of the advantages offered by the known sanitary napkins and at the same time to eliminate the problems left unsolved by these sanitary napkins.
According to the invention, there is provided an absorbent article having a longitudinal center line, a transverse center line being orthogonal to the longitudinal center line, a skin-contactable side and a skin-noncontactable side, the absorbent article comprising: an absorbent laminate and deformation inducing means provided closely adjacent the skin-noncontactable side so as to convexly deform the absorbent laminate toward the skin-contactable side; the deformation inducing means including a hydrophobic panel member and an elastically stretchable member secured to the panel member parallel to the transverse center line or along the longitudinal center line so as to convexly deform the panel member toward the skin-contactable side as the elastically stretchable member elastically contracts; and respective regions of the absorbent laminate and the deformation inducing means having been convexly deformed being deformable to substantially flat states against a contractile force of the elastically stretchable member when a contacting pressure directed from the skin-contactable side toward the skin-noncontactable side is exerted on the article.
According to the invention, cooperation of the panel member and the elastically stretchable member constituting together the deformation inducing means causes the absorbent laminate to be convexly deformed toward the skin-contactable side and to be closely placed against the wearer""s external genital organs. With a contacting pressure directed from the skin-contactable side to the skin-noncontactable side being exerted thereon, the absorbent laminate can be deformed together with the deformation inducing means to its flat state against the contractile force of the deformation inducing means.